Delirium
by BabyGurl2012
Summary: Delirium is the hottest spot in Seattle, but what goes on behind the scenes is even hotter.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This has been a story swirling in my head for a while. I figured I'd get it out. I'm going to do my best to have updates at least every other week, sometimes more often. In the story Christian and Ana have different backgrounds. There is no BDSM. It's also duel POV. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!**

"Dude, there are already some fine ladies in there.", Rocco Kincade tells me as I hang my coat in my locker. He and I are working the bar tonight. I change out of my white button up shirt and into the black tee with Delirium printed on the front. The club is the hottest place in Seattle, and tonight, Saturday, is the busiest night of the week.

"It doesn't matter how many women are in there. You have to have the moves to attract them." He places his hand on his chest and feigns being wounded.

"Are you insinuating I don't have moves? I'm hurt."

"You're ok with taking drink orders, but you babble when it comes to flirting." I close my locker door. "Just the other night you had a hot girl in front of you. She was practically undressing you with her eyes, yet you somehow started telling her about your cat."

"She liked hearing about Mr. Jingles.", Rocco counters with a frown. "Or I thought she did."

"She might've liked hearing about Mr. Jingles to an extent, but there was no reason to pull out your phone and show her pics."

"I can't help if Mr. Jingles is so damn adorable."

"Let's curb the talk about girls and get to work."

"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" To say he's passionate about his job is an understatement.

* * *

"What can I get you?", I ask the buxom, leggy blonde who just sauntered up to the bar. She runs her tongue over her lips and smiles.

"I don't know. What do you suggest?", she replies, leaning closer and giving me a better view of her cleavage which is pushing through her red mini dress.

"Sex on the Beach." The twinkling in her eyes is a sure sign she likes my answer.

"Sex on the Beach, huh? I can't say I've ever experienced it, but you seem like the perfect guy to give it to me." I wink and turn to make her drink while feeling her eyes on me the entire time. Do I find her attractive? Sure. I've fooled around with customers before, but I'm also trying to be on my best behavior. Well, the best behavior possible for me. Lisa Abernathy, the owner of Delirium is standing by the left wall. Her eyes are going back and forth from me to Jack Hyde, the club's resident dj and asshole. He and I don't mesh well and have had a few heated conversations which have led Linda to keep a watchful eye on us

I finish making the drink and slide it over to the blonde. She seductively links the rim and takes a drink.

"This is good and just what I needed."

"I'm glad to have helped." I'm about to head to walk away when I feel her hand on my arm. She grabs a napkin and writes down a phone number.

"You should call me.", she says. I take the number and put it in my pocket.

* * *

"This is for all the single ladies!", Jack shouts from his booth. Beyonce's Single Ladies starts playing through the club, and everyone's swaying to the music. I see Jack leave his booth and head towards the bar. "Grey, give me a gin and tonic." I ignore him and continue wiping the bar. "Did you not hear me?" I set my towel down and walk over to him.

"I heard you. However, I chose to ignore what sounded like a demand. When you learn how to ask politely then maybe I'll get you a drink. Until then...sorry."

"You wouldn't want me to tell Lisa that you're being rude to me, would you?" I clench my fists and imagine myself knocking the smirk off his face. "Be a good little boy and get my drink."

"Jack, how about I make your drink?", Rocco asks as he steps in front of me.

"Sure. You're a better bartender than Grey anyway.", Jack snorts.

"At least women don't feel like they're playing Where's Waldo when it comes to finding my dick.", I snarl. Jack slams his hands on the bar and looks as if he's about to jump across it. However he quickly composes himself at the sight of Lisa.

"Christian, Jack, are the two of behaving?", Lisa asks.

"Why Lisa, of course. Christian and I were just messing around.", Jack says.

"Good, but you need to get back to your spot. The song is almost over, and we need music. Go." She points towards the dj booth, and Jack staggers away like a petulant child. "As for you Christian, go take your break and then Rocco can take his."

I step from behind the bar and head through the back room and outside to get some a bit of fresh air. I should do some writing on my book, but I'm not feeling motivated. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I'm determined to one day get my book out. In the meantime, I work at the club to pay the bills.

My train of thought is interrupted by the roar of a motorcyle. The machine whirls into a spot only a few feet from me. I stand and prepare to tell the occupant that the spaces are reserved for employees. I watch in shock as the driver removes his or should I say her helmet. She tosses her hair back and places the helmet on the front. Dressed in a black sweater, dark jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket is a a brown haired woman in her early twenties. She walks towards me, and I can't help but feel mesmerized by her blue eyes.

"Are you staring me?", she questions.

"I was simply admiring...your motorcycle.", I answer, being partly honest.

"It's nice, huh? I got it a few weeks ago. There's something about the vibration between your legs." _Fuck! I'll give her a vibration between her legs!_

"I should warn you that you've parked in a space reserved for employees. I don't really have an issue with it, but the owner will. She'll make you move it." The girl shrugs and closes the distance between us.

"It's a good thing I work here then.", she says as she walks past me and through the back door with me quick on her heels.

"Uh...I work here and have never seen you." She spins on her heels and giggles.

"Nothing gets past you. I'm a new server and am here picking up my uniform."

"Then we're going to be co-workers." I extend my hand. "I'm Christian." She places her soft hand in mine and slowly shakes it. The sensation stirs a fire within me.

"I know." I raise a brow in confusion. "It's on your name tag." From the doorway someone clears their throat. I see Lisa standing with her arms crossed.

"Lisa, I was just getting acquainted with our server." Lisa crosses the room and hugs the girl. "And you seem to be doing the same."

"Because our new server is also my niece."

"Ah. Well, I still haven't gotten her name."

"Ana.", the new server and Lisa's niece tells me. "I'm Ana."

I only just met Ana, but I feel like she's going to be an interesting addition to the Delirium.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This update is sooner than I planned. In this chapter more is learned about Ana and her backstory. Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Hey. I thought I heard you in here", my best friend and roommate Kate Kavanagh says as she pads into the living room of our apartment.

"I didn't mean to wake you." She yawns and looks at the clock on the right wall. "I'm aware that it's after midnight."

"You left hours ago to pick up your uniform. Where you at the club the entire time?" I grab my black Delirium tee and black skirt and fold them, feeling her eyes on me.

"No. I stopped by Delirium and got my uniform and then went for a ride around the city." I glance up and see her nodding. "My grandmother always said she felt nighttime was the best time to think. There was something peaceful about being under the stars and moonlight." My heart squeezes at the memory of my Grandmother Elizabeth. Since her death four months ago my life has changed drastically. I graduated from WSU didn't go to work for my dad at his company Steele Inc. I chose to heed my grandmother's advice and enjoy life. My dad was a little upset with my decision to delay joining the company, yet he was also supportive. Lisa, his younger sister, was supportive as well and said I could work for her at Delirium if I needed a job so I took her up on the offer.

"Your grandmother was a very wise woman." The room goes silent and somber. "Are there any hot guys who work at Delirium?" Kate's question is an obvious attempt to lighten the mood.

"Kate, I'm there to work not meet guys."

"Who says you can't do both?" I roll my eyes and settle on the sofa. "One good way of enjoying life is by dating."

"I date", I counter.

"You haven't been on a date in ages. You've got to get out there and meet people." I stand and head towards my bedroom. "You're avoiding me."

"No. I'm going to bed, and you should do the same."

* * *

"Ana, you're early. We don't open until eight", Lisa tells me after opening the back door of Delirium Monday night. I follow her inside and wait for her to lock the door back.

"I guess I'm anxious to get started on my first night. I also wanted to talk to you about last night." She motions for me to follow her to her office. "You called me your niece."

"The last time I checked you were." She sits down behind her desk.

"You are. However, I don't want to be your niece here. I want to be your employee, meaning I want to be treated like everyone else."

"I understand and respect that. From the time your shift starts to the time it ends you'll simply be my employee. With that being said your shift hasn't started so I'm going to be your aunt for a while. I talked to your dad last night, and he expressed his concern about you working here. I assured him the customers are on their best behavior ninety-nine percent of the time. He was also worried with how late it'll be when your shift ends."

"I told him I'm going to be fine." Even though my dad was ok with my decision to hold off on working at his company he wasn't a hundred percent keen on me working at Delirium. "I'm sure he'll be fine soon. He's come around with me buying the motorcycle."

"I can understand where he's coming from. You're his only child who he loves. He and your mom would walk to the end of the earth for you." I finally sit down in one of the large plush chairs next to her desk.

"I know, and I love them so much too", I sigh. "Since we're being aunt and niece at the moment what's new in your life?" Lisa grabs pen and starts twirling it between her fingers.

"There's nothing really new in my life. Most of my time is either spent here or working on ideas for here. A couple of my friends have been harping on me to get out and start dating."

"They sound like Kate. She's doing the same with me." Lisa was married for seven years to Charlie, a guy who she dated in college. They were happy until they found themselves drifting apart. A year ago they mutually agreed to divorce. "The difference is you work way too much and don't take time for yourself."

"I take time for yourself", she scoffs as someone knocks on the office door. "Come in." Christian, the bartender, opens the door and immediately smiles when he sees me. I'm not going to lie. He's an attractive guy. Ok, he's a very attractive guy with his copper hair and gray eyes. By the way his shirt hugs his body he clearly works out. "Christian, did you need something?"

"I was just going to let you know that I'm here", he says, breaking his gaze off me only briefly. "Hi again."

"Hi."

"Ana, you're going to be working alongside Ellie tonight. She's been here since the beginning and is the best when it comes to training.", Lisa tells me.

"And if there's anything else you need...don't hesitate to come see me", Christian smirks.

* * *

"Ana, hi. I'm Ellie." I adjust my shirt and see a blonde with pink streaks in her hair. "Lisa said I'm going to be training you."

"Hi." I scan the club which will be opening soon. "How busy is it in here on Mondays?"

"It's not as busy as Friday or Saturday nights, but it's steady. There are a lot of people who come in to decompress after their Monday." We walk over to the left side of the club. "This is my area. The customers are usually pretty nice although there are the rare occasions in which they get a little too tipsy. The security guys have good eyes and are quick to resolve the situation." Ellie acts as if she's about to say something else, but she stops when she sees a spiky blonde haired guy walk into the club. He finishes talking to someone on his phone and smiles at Ellie and I.

"Ellie, good evening."

"Rocco", Ellie nods. I'm quick to notice her cheeks turn pink. "This is Ana. She's our new server."

"It's nice to meet you." Christian emerges from the back and joins us. "Christian, have you met Ana, our new server?"

"I have."

"I haven't had the pleasure." A young guy with red hair in a ponytail struts over. "I'm Jack."

"Last name Ass", Christian mumbles.

"Oh burn!", Rocco shouts. Jack shoots daggers at Christian, and it's already clear those two don't like each other.

"Ignore Christian. He's just pissed that he's shunned to the bar where as I'm the club's DJ and the one responsible for getting people dancing."

"Dude, you're in a dark corner of the club", Christian snorts. "How much more shunned can you get?"

"Be nice, kids", Lisa warns. "Maggie called in sick so I'll be helping out front tonight. That means I'll be watching and making sure certain ones are getting along." She zeroes in on Christian and Jack.

"Lisa, I promise Jack and I are going to get along. You have nothing to worry about. Isn't that right, Jack?"

"Sure", Jack answers.

* * *

"Can I get you guys something from the bar?", Ellie asks a table of four guys in their mid-thirties.

"We're going to have four Amaretto Sours", one of the guys replies. We're midway through the night, and so far things have been going well. I've managed to carry every drink tray without falling.

"Coming right up" Ellie turns back to me. "Do you want to get that order while I check on table seven?"

"Sure." I walk around the dance floor and to the bar. Roccos' waiting on a customer so I've got to hand the order to Christian. He leans on the bar and flashes a panty melting smile. "Table six needs four Amaretto Sours"

"Ok" He turns and starts working on the drinks. "How's it going so far?"

"Good. Not a single drink has been spilled. Yay me." I do two thumbs up.

"From my vantage point you're doing great." He glances over his shoulder and winks. Turning around and placing the drinks on my tray he shrugs. "I didn't mean for that to sound like I've been staring at you or anything. I'm just observant." Our eyes lock as "Mercy" by Shawn Mendes plays. I'm the one to break the contact. "I'd better get these to table six."

"Please have mercy on me", I hear him singing as I walk away.

* * *

"Ellie said you caught on fast", Lisa says at the end of the night. I grab my leather jacket from my locker. "She believes you'll be able to handle it on your own tomorrow night."

"I hope so", I murmur.

"I know so. I've got to go over the receipts before heading out, but you should get on home. That's from both your aunt and your boss."

"Goodnight." I pull my jacket on and let her open the back door for me. "Lock up behind me." The door closes, and I hear the lock click. I see Christian standing by my motorcycle. "I thought you had already left."

"I wanted to ask if you'd like to grab a bite to eat."

"Um..."

"It wouldn't be just the two of us. Rocco's going to be there. We usually head to Deena's Diner around the corner. It's a nice place to go to unwind after working." I mentally debate my decision.

"Maybe some other time." I grab my helmet and climb on the motorcycle.

"I'm going to hold you to that", he says. "And maybe some time I can take a spin on this." Heat radiates through my body as his eyes are glued to mine. I'm sure he meant he wants to take a ride on the motorcycle. _Or not!_

"I'd love to give you a ride", I tell him. "Goodnight."

"Night."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **C POV**

"Sorry I'm late. There was an issue with a project that needed my attention", my older brother Elliot says as he joins me at the table in Vaulta Steakhouse.

"It's fine. I haven't been here long myself." I open my menu and start browsing the lunch menu.

"I'm guessing you haven't been awake very long either."

"On the contrary, I've been awake since eight. I got home around three and slept a few hours before waking up."

"Damn. Did you wake up with inspiration for your book?", he asks.

"A little although not enough", I murmur. "Some days the words flow easily, and some days there's nothing. " Elliot closes his menu and smiles sympathetically.

"Giving up would be the easy thing to do, but you wouldn't be happy. Haven't Mom and Dad always taught us that happiness is essential?"

"They have." Elliot and I along with our sister Mia are fortunate and blessed to have been born to Carrick and Grace Grey, parents who encourage and love us no matter what. Our dad is a lawyer and our mom a pediatrician, yet both want their kids to make their own paths. Elliot does so with his contracting business, and Mia does the same by attending culinary school. Still, I have moments where I doubt myself. "I'm worried that I'm going to finally get my book finished and have it rejected by every single publisher."

"That won't happen." We cease conversation as the waitress comes and takes our order. Once she's gone I speak.

"How can you be so sure?", I ask Elliot. He chuckles and takes a drink of his water. "Don't stall and answer me.

"I'm sure because I have faith in you."

* * *

After lunch I head to my studio apartment. I'm off from the club tonight, but I've got of lot of things to do. I need to do laundry as well as some grocery shopping. Doing some writing is also on the agenda. I open the fridge to grab some water but find the shelves bare except for some leftover Chinese and milk which is out of date. Eating out or ordering take-out is what I do most of the time.

"Great", I mutter. I roll my head on my shoulders and grab my keys. Downstairs I meet one of my best friends Jason Taylor who lives in the same building. "Hey, man."

"Hey. How's it going?", he asks. He zips his jacket and walks alongside me.

"It's going good. How are you?"

"I'm great. I seem to be gone more than I'm home, but I'm doing what I love." Jason is a detective for the Seattle Police Department. "Are you working tonight?"

"I've got the night off."

"So do I. How about we go out and have a few drinks?" He notices my hesitancy. "Come on."

"I was planning on staying home." We stop at the front entrance. "Maybe another night."

"My schedule is going to be all over the place in the next few weeks. How about we go out and have a drink or two and then call it an early night?"

"Fine."

* * *

"When I asked where you wanted to go I didn't think you'd say Delirium", Jason says. Todd, one of the bouncers, waves us inside the club.

"I figured we should go to the place where they serve the best drinks, and that's Delirium." I neglect telling Jason another reason is Ana. I've only just met her, but I feel an attraction to her that I can't explain. We manuever past a couple who've decided to start making out in the middle of the club.

"Want to tell me who you're looking for?" I scoff at Jason and continue walking. "It's a girl, isn't it?"

"No." I finally see Ana who's taking an order at one of the tables."

"Christian, Jason, hey", Rocco says.

"Hey", Jason replies, hopping on to one of the stools at the bar. I settle on the one next to him. "Christian wanted to come to the place where the best drinks are served."

"I'm touched he thinks I make the best drinks."

"Actually you make the second best drinks right behind me", I snort. "How's it been here tonight?"

"Maggie called in sick again, but Lisa and Ellie both felt Ana would do ok on her own so she's working one of the sections by herself." Rocco grabs two glasses. "What do you guys want?"

"Beer", Jason answers.

"I'll have the same", I add as Ana steps up to the bar.

"Hey, Christian."

"Hey." Beside me Jason clears his throat. "Oh, Ana, this is my friend Jason Taylor. Jason, this is Ana..." I feel like the biggest loser when I realize I don't know her last name. "Crap." She giggles.

"Steele. I'm Ana Steele." Her eyes flash back to me. "I suppose it's fair since I don't know your last name either."

"Mine is Grey." She bites her lip, and I feel like my dick is about to rip through my jeans.

"It's nice to meet you, Ana", Jason says. "Christian, I think I see someone I know so I'm going to go and say hi." He steps off his stool and leans closer to me. "You can thank me later." He walks away. Unfortunately before I can further my conversation with Ana we're interrupted.

"Christian, I thought that was you", Leila Williams purrs while sitting on the stool vacated by Jason.

"I've got to get back to work", Ana tells me before hurrying off.

"Leila, hello", I say. She and I met several months ago when she came in the club. After a little flirting on both sides we ended up hooking up. I wasn't looking for anything serious, but I got the sense Leila did even though she claimed to feel the same way.

"It's good to see you." Leila runs her hand along my arm. "These arms of yours. I remember how they felt holding me that night. Of course I also certain other body parts." I take a drink of my beer and glance over my shoulder. Ana's taking an order at one of the tables, but she briefly looks up at me. Flo Rida's "Right Round" begins blasting. "I love this song. Let's dance." She hops down and grabs my hand, trying her best to pull me to my feet.

"I'm not much of a dancer." She pouts. "I'm sure it won't be difficult to find someone to dance with."

"Fine. I'll go and find another dance partner, but you're the one I really want." She blows a kiss and saunters to the floor. Sure enough she's soon dancing with another.

"I'm back", Jason says. "And you're welcome."

"What for?" He takes a quick sip of his beer.

"Don't act like you don't know. You've got the hots for Ana."

"Is that just your first beer? You're wrong. I don't have the hots for her." _I have the hots for her._

"If you say so", he chuckles.

* * *

 **A POV**

"I guess we're taking our breaks at the same time", Jack says while walking into the back room.

"Looks like it." He follows me into the employee break room. I open the fridge and grab a bottle of water and the turkey salad sandwich I brought with me.

"I brought some pasta salad if you'd like some." He waves a bowl.

"Thanks, but I've got my sandwich." We sit down at the small round table in the middle of the room.

"I've got plenty if you change your mind." He watches as I take a bite of my sandwich. "Are you liking the job so far?"

"Yeah. Of course it's only my second day, but I'm enjoying it." With Maggie calling in sick again Lisa and Ellie both thought I'd be ok to handle my own section tonight, and I've done well so far. "The customers have been great, and I really like all the staff." His eyes linger on me.

"All the staff likes you too", he smiles. "Most of us are good people." I crinkle my nose at the remark. "One of the things I like to do is watch out for people which is what I feel I should do for you." This guy is confusing me even more. "You should be careful around Christian."

"Christian? Why?", I ask.

"He's not a good guy. I see things, and I've seen how he looks at you." The feeling is mutual. I feel myself drawn to Christian. When he came in here earlier I had tingles. "He puts on this good guy facade, making women swoon over them. It's almost a game for him. After he gets what he wants he tosses them." There's an almost bitterness in his tone. Like Jack, I'm observant and have seen how he and Christian act with the other. There's no love lost between the two.

"Jack, I can assure you that I don't plan on being one of those women. I can take care of myself."

"You do seem like a tough woman", he laughs as I finish my sandwich. I push my chair back and stand. "Break time over already?"

"Yeah." _Thank goodness!_ I don't think I could take another minute.

* * *

"You're ridiculous", Ellie giggles while she stands at her locker with Rocco. "There's no way I'm going to eat a burger that massive." Rocco shrugs. "You though..."

"Oh, I could definitely eat that burger." He motions for me. "Ana, check out this burger." I pad over and take a glimpse of the picture on his phone. It's of a huge cheeseburger.

"Wow."

"It's called The Mega-Mega Burger and is served at Pearson's here in Seattle. They've got a challenge that anyone who eats the burger and the large order of fries gets it for free. I'm thinking about trying it. Ellie, on the other hand, is chicken."

"I'm not chicken", Ellie scoffs. "I just don't want to make myself sick. I will go with you for moral support." She looks adoringly at him and he back at her. I don't what their history is, but it's very clear they like each other.

"Thanks. I'll need all the support I can get. Do you want me to walk you to your car?"

"Sure. I'd like that. Ana, do you want to tag along with us?"

"No thanks. You guys go ahead. I'll see you later", I reply, wanting to give them some time alone. I watch them leave and then continue gathering my things. The sound of footsteps jolts me. I spin around and see Christian.

"I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't. What are you doing here? I thought you were hanging out with Jason."

"I did for a bit", he replies as he goes to his locker.

"And the girl who was practically all over you?", I blurt out. "I'm sorry. That's none of my business."

"There's nothing going on there." He opens his locker and grabs a notebook.

"Oh. Well...I wouldn't care if there were." That's not what I was saying to myself earlier. Seeing that girl hanging on him irked me although I truly shouldn't have an issue with it. "You're a decent looking guy."

"Decent looking? Thanks", he laughs.

"Ok. You're a little more than decent looking." I want to scream that he's hot as hell. "My point is it would be understandable for a guy as hot..uh..I mean a little more than decent looking as you to be with a girl as pretty as that girl." He rubs his chin and inches forward. My breath hitches at the close proximity.

"She's not the girl I want." He grins and backs away. "I'll see you later."

"See ya."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Lisa said you're doing well at the club", my mom says as she spoons more peas on to her plate.

"I'm catching on and really liking it." The frown on my dad's face doesn't escape me. "Dad..."

"I'm glad you're enjoying the job", he murmurs. "But I wish you were home earlier. I don't like the idea of you getting home so late at night."

"Technically it's morning when I get home", I tease, getting a deeper frown. "Dad, I'm being cautious. The parking lot is well lit, and I've got my pepper spray."

"She also has the self defense moves she learned in those classes we took", my mom reminds him.

"I'm sorry for being over protective", he sighs. I push back my chair and walk over to him. I then reach down and wrap my arms around him.

"You're just being a dad", I say. I move over to my mom. "Don't worry. You're getting a hug too." After hugging her I sit back down.

"Tell us about your co-workers", my dad says, eagerly wanting to hear more about the job.

"Everyone is nice." I've been getting along great with everyone although Jack gives me bad vibes. I've noticed him looking at him a little too long which is ironic considering his warning about Christian. Speaking of Christian, it's been a week since he told me "She's not the one I want", yet it's still fresh on my mind. He and I have talked since, but it's been casual. I should do my best to forget whatever is there. Getting involved with someone I work with is not a good idea. Still...

"I'm glad", my mom replies.

* * *

"That's one of my favorite photos of the two of you. Scratch that. It's one of my favorite photos ever." I look up from the photo in my hand and see my dad walking into the living room. The photo is one of my grandmother and me. It was taken when she and my parents took me to a pumpkin patch when I was three. In the photo my attention is squarely on the pumpkin next to me while my grandmother's is on me.

"I look at my copy of it every day. She was always smiling even when..." I trail off at the memory of my grandmother's cancer battle. "Even when she was sick." I set the photo down and sit down in one of the large beige arm chairs. "I still wake up and think all of this is a dream and she's still here."

"You and both." My dad's father died in a car accident when my dad was only five, leaving my grandmother to raise my her son on her own. She taught school and also worked part time at a local boutique to make sure my dad had all the things he needed. Even after he had started his own company and told her to retire she continued to work part time at the boutique. It was only when her cancer starting progressing that she quit. "I'm convinced even though we can't see her she's still here with us."

* * *

"Can I borrow that red wrap dress of yours?", Kate asks the following night. She rubs her hands together in hopes of me saying yes. I pad over to the closet and pull out the dress in question. She reaches for it, but I move it from her grasp.

"You said earlier you were going to work on your article." Kate writes for a lifestyle magazine called The Seattle Scene.

"I finished it and thought I'd reward myself by going out. I naturally need something nice to wear, and that's where your dress comes in."

"You've got a closet full of clothes. Why wear mine?" She manages to snag the dress from me.

"Because I like this one which you never wear. One of us might as well wear it. I might drop by Delirium. Don't worry. I won't give you a hard time." I raise a brow. "I swear I won't."

"I'm going to trust you on that", I giggle. "I've got to start getting ready."

* * *

"Thank you", the bubbly blonde says as I place her martini in front of her. I then hand the rest of the table their drinks. "My best friend is getting married." She points to a brunette who's wearing a tiara and a sash with **Bride To Be** printed on the front.

"Congratulations", I tell the bride to be.

"Thank you. The big day is still a month away, but my friends wanted to go ahead and have my bachelorette party."

"Well, I hope you all enjoy your night." I walk away and see Kate's arrived and is sitting at the bar where she's talking to Christian. He laughs at something and then starts working on a drink. "Kate, you're here."

"I'm here. I thought about getting a table in your section, but I thought sitting alone at a table might make me look pathetic so I'm sitting at the bar. Christian here is making me a Blue Hawaiian." Confession: I'm a little jealous Kate knows his name. Christian sets the drink down in front of Kate.

"Kate introduced herself as your best friend and roommate", Christian says, keeping his eyes intently on me. "She didn't tell me anything embarrassing."

"That might not be the case after a few more of these", Kate giggles after taking a sip of her drink. Christian heads to the other end of the counter. "You failed to tell me about the hot bartender." I motion to Rocco who's busy making drinks. "He's cute, but I'm talking about Christian."

"Oh. I guess he's ok." I step behind the counter and grab some napkins for my apron.

"You're face is as red as my dress."

"You mean my dress", I respond. "And I don't know what you mean." She wiggles her finger for me to step closer.

"I saw the way you were looking at him", she whispers. "I also saw the way he was looking at you even before you came over here."

"Ana, a large group just came in the door. Do you want to help me?", Maggie asks. She was sick the first few nights but is now back.

"Yes." I scurry around the counter. "Kate, I'll see you at home."

* * *

 **C POV**

"Ana was needed", Kate tells me when I go to see if she needs a refill.

"Yeah. I see that she's with a large group. Do you want another?"

"Sure." I grab a fresh glass and start mixing up the drink. "Are you single?"

"Isn't that a little too forward to ask someone you just met?", I snort.

"I've always been a forward kind of person." I score the pineapple and place it on the rim of the glass. "It's a simple yes or no question."

"Fine. The answer is yes." She appears pleased with my answer as I hand the drink to her. "However, if you think anything is going to happen between us..." She almost spits her drink out in laughter.

"You're an attractive guy, but I wasn't asking for myself. I was asking for Ana."

"Did she have you ask me?"

"No. She'd probably blow a gasket if she knew", Kate sighs. "You'd have to be blind to see how she looks at you and you at her. I guess what I'm saying is you should ask her out."

* * *

Once the night is finally over and the last customer is gone I wipe down the counter. My eyes continually drift to Ana who's helping Maggie clean the tables. Jack saunters across the floor, flashing a smile at Ana. The smile she gives back is nothing compared to the bright smile she gives me. He stops in front of me and scowls.

"I'd forget about Ana if I were you", Jack smirks. "I took the liberty of filling her in on what a loser you are." I toss my towel down and am about to jump across the bar at him, but Rocco grabs hold of my arm.

"Don't", Rocco warns me.

"If anyone is a loser it's you, Jack", I snarl. "You're also a loser who's not worth me getting into trouble over."

"Aww. Poor Christian got his feelings hurt", Jack snickers. "Those feelings will be hurt even more when you see Ana and me together." He turns and is clearly shocked to see Ana standing mere inches away. "Ana, just the girl I want to talk to. Would you like to get some food after work?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I've already got plans", Ana answers. Jack nods in disappointed as I silently feel the same way since I had planned on taking Kate's advice and seeing if Ana wanted to do something after our shift.

"Some other time then", Jack shrugs before walking away.

"Don't look so down", Rocco tells me. "Just because she has plans tonight doesn't mean she'll be unavailable forever."

"What are you talking about?"

"I may have overheard Ana's friend Kate suggesting you ask Ana out, and from the way you looked a second ago you were planning on asking her out tonight. If you want something, go for it."

"Funny coming from you", I scoff. "I've heard you talk about girls before but no girl has the same affect on you as Ellie."

"Ellie and I are just friends", he counters, but I know better. His face lights up like a Christmas tree when she's around.

"A friend whose place you're going to after work? Rocco, it'll be two when we leave yet you're going over there."

"We've been talking for a while about having a comedy movie marathon, but the time has never been right. I finally told her tonight, but I'm working and she's off. She then said to come over after work since she's used to being awake at night and sleeping during the day."

"It sounds to me like she wants to see you just as much as you wan to see her." He starts grinning like a loon. "That expression says it all."

* * *

I close the back door and start towards my silver Jeep Wrangler. Standing next to the vehicle is none other than Ana. She's changed out of her uniform and is wearing a red tank and jeans.

"Hey", she says.

"Hey. Were you waiting on me?"

"Maybe. I was wondering if tonight would be a good night to check out that diner you told me about."

"Deena's", I reply. "So you lied to Jack about having plans?"

"I didn't lie. I do have plans or hopefully I do." She bites her lip, and I feel my dick harden. She brushes past me and to her motorcyle. I stand and watch her open a bag from which she pulls out a black helmet. She holds the helmet up and grins. "Want to go for that ride now?"

"Let's go." I take and put the helmet before climbing behind her on the motorcycle. She holds of on starting it up.

"Don't worry. I'll be gentle", she giggles as I wrap my arms around her body. The motorcycle roars to life, and we're soon speeding out of the parking lot. Ana handles the machine with ease, veering us in the direction I point. All too soon we're at the diner, and I have to release my hold on her. We walk side by side inside the diner and take a seat at a corner table. WIth it being after two she and I are the only ones in here except for the workers.

"Christian, it's good to see you", Agnes, the waitress says. She's in her late fifties and is usually working during this time.

"Agnes, hi. This is Ana."

"Hi", Ana says. Agnes raises a brow at me.

"Hello. Christian's one of the regulars here and like a son to me. He always gets the same thing, a cheeseburger and curly fries along with a chocolate milkshake."

"Why mess up a good thing? I'll have the same tonight", I shrug.

"I think I'll have the Christian Special too", Ana tells Agnes. Agnes gives a thumbs up and goes to the kitchen. "She seems fond of you."

"She's here about ninety-nine percent of the times I'm here. I'm glad you wanted to come here tonight. I've been wanting to get to know you better."

"I think it's good to know your co-workers."

"True although I want to know you as more than a co-worker. Tell me about yourself." Agnes brings our milkshakes

"I'm an only child who was born and raised here in Seattle. My dad owns a tech company, Steele Inc." She twirls in her straw around in her glass. "When I was younger I wanted nothing more than to join his company."

"That changed?"

"Somewhat. I might eventually join the company, but for now I just want to enjoy life."

"I understand." Our food arrives, and we each take a bite of our burger.

"This burger is delicious." She wipes her mouth and smiles. "Let's talk about you for a while."

"I was also born and raised here in Seattle. My dad's a lawyer, and my mom's a pediatrician. I'm the middle child. Elliot, the oldest, is a contractor while my little sister Mia attends culinary school. Many would assume I'd want to be in a more stable profession, but I'm happy with bartending. Besides there's something else that's my passion. I write." She stops eating. "And one day I hope to publish a book."

"Wow. I think that's great. Reading is one of my favorite things. There's nothing better than going into a book store and discovering new books that'll take you on a journey. I'm sure I'll be buying your book one day." We stare into each other's eyes, blocking out the world around us until Agnes appears at the table.

"Sorry interrupting, but would you like anything else?" Unfortunately what I want or should I say who I want isn't on the menu.

"I'm ok", I answer. "Ana?"

"Nothing else for me." Agnes nods and tears the bill from her notepad. I'm about to take it, but Ana quickly grabs it instead. "Gotta be quicker than that, Grey."

"Next time is on me."

* * *

The ride back to the club feels even shorter. I take as long as I can to get off the motorcycle and am surprised when Ana also gets off. She puts the spare helmet back in the bag.

"Well...", I murmur.

"Well...", she repeats. "I had a nice time."

"Me too. It was very nice." I shuffle my feet.

"I've got to tell you something. Jack warned me about you. He said you used women and tossed them to the side." _That mother fucker!_ "But I'm a big girl who can handle herself. The thing is though..." Here it comes. "I wasn't looking for anything romantic wise."

"I wasn't either." Her shoulders drop. "Until now. I feel this pull towards you, and I can't ignore it. I don't want to ignore it."

"We work together, and that could complicate things." She bites her lip and steps closer. "We shouldn't do this." Her words are the opposite of her actions as she places a kiss on my right cheek. "We shouldn't." She then presses her soft lips on to my left cheek. "It's wrong." She starts turning away from me until her body swings back around. "I've never wanted to be more wrong." Her lips crash on to mine. The kiss is intense. I move my hands on to her hips as she presses her body against mine. She moans into my mouth, and I almost come. When we finally break apart we're panting.

"Wrong works for me", I smirk. She blows a kiss at me and gets on the motorcycle.

"Remember how the night we met we were talking about my motorcycle? I said there's something about the vibration between the legs. I think I may have found something even better than the motorcycle."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Someone's in a good mood." I continue making pancakes as Kate pours a cup of coffee. "Which is suprising considering you were very late getting home from work."

"Were you waiting on me?" I raise a brow and take a drink of my own coffee.

"No", she scoffs. "I had just gone back to bed after getting a drink of water when I heard you come in. I figured you either had to stay late at the club or you were with a certain someone."

"I might as well go ahead and tell you since you'll keep pestering. After work I went and got some food with Christian." Kate claps her hands like a giddy schoolgirl. "Do you really have to act like that when I only had meal with him?"

"From the grin on your face I'm betting there was more than a meal. He kissed you, didn't he?"

"More like I kissed him", I sigh as Kate appears shocked. "Yeah...I surprised myself last night. I waited for him outside in the parking lot, and I asked if he wanted to get some food. I was also the one who initiated the kiss."

"You were a bold little thing. What came over you?" I finish the pancakes and place them on the table.

"I got to thinking about my grandmother and how she was the bravest woman I've ever known. She didn't just sit around. She took action. I decided to be more like her." We sit down at the table and fill our plates.

"I think you've always had that quality. You just didn't have the something or someone to push you into revealing it", Kate says. "When's the next date?"

"Last night wasn't a date. It was two people sharing a meal."

"And a kiss." Kate waggles a brow and takes a bite of her pancake. "You want to go on a date, right?"

"I guess", I calmly reply even though I'm inwardly screaming "Yes!" I twist my napkin. "Both of us admitted there's something between us."

"Then you should take another chance and ask him out. It's not a rule the guy has to ask out the girl."

"I know, but I don't want to be the one making all the moves."

"You're stubborn", Kate murmurs while standing with her plate. "I'm going to finish my breakfast in my room. I'll eat and finish packing my suitcase which I've been procrastinating on." Kate's leaving this afternoon for a weekend work conference. "Me not being here could be good for you."

"Kate, go and finish packing", I mumble.

* * *

"Ana, come here", Ellie pleads. She's been standing for several minutes in front of the mirror in the womens restroom. "Is there anything on my neck?"

"There's a necklace with a unicorn on it which I adore." The frown on her face briefly goes to a smile.

"Thanks. I've always had a thing for unicorns so when my mom saw it yesterday she bought it for me. But that's not what I was talking about. I meant do you see something that resembles a hickey?" I look at her neck again and shake my head. "Nothing?"

"Nope. Should there be something that resembles a hickey?"

"I did some heavy making out with a guy", she whispers evern though we're the only ones in the restroom. "I left a small spot on his neck, and my paranoia is making me think there might be one on mine."

"Nothing's there. You said you did some heavy making out with a guy, and it just so happens Rocco told me last night he was going over to your place after work. I guess I'm curious about whether the making out was done before or after Rocco was over?", I ask, almost certain I already know the name of the guy. She fiddles with the unicorn necklace while avoiding eye contact. "Never mind. I'm always telling my best friend and roommate that she's too nosey yet here I am doing the same."

"It was Rocco", she stammers. "He's the guy. He came over after work last night to watch some movies. We were halfway through _Zoolander_ when we started kissing. I'm not even sure which of us initiated the kiss. There was some over the clothes fondling but nothing else." She blushes.

"I knew you liked each other."

"I've liked him for a while, but I never knew if he liked me the same way."

"Oh, he definitely likes you." I follow her out of the restroom and end up bumping into Christian who I haven't talked to since last night. "Hey."

"Hey", he grins. "I had to double check the schedule to make sure you were working tonight." He leans against a locker, holding his eyes on me.

"And why is that?"

"Because I've been thinking about you since last night. Let me rephrase that. I've been thinking about you even more since last night." His hand reaches forward and pushes back a piece of hair that's fallen loose from my ponytail.

"It was nice a kiss, huh?", I tease.

"Nice doesn't even begin describe it. It wasn't just the kiss though. It was the entire time we spent together. I feel like we got to know each other better, but it still wasn't enough."

"I feel the same way. Like I said last night I wasn't looking for anything romantic wise, but it's difficult to ignore what I'm feeling." In the corner of my eye I see Jack going to his locker. He rummages through the locker, looking over at Christian and me every few seconds.

"When I looking at the schedule I noticed we're both off tomorrow night." I had planned on asking him out, but this works for me. "Would you like to go out?" Jack's head raises up.

"I would. Is there anything in particular you want to do?" Christian pushes himself off the locker and steps closer to me.

"There's a lot I want to do", he answers. "One idea ivolves me pushing you against this locker and kissing you."

"Only kissing?"

"Fuck", he mutters. "You're killing me. How about you come over to my place so I can cook for you?"

"You cook?"

"Sure." He pulls his phone out from his pocket. "Let's exchange numbers, and you can give me your address so I can pick you up."

"That's not necessary", I tell him as I hand him my phone so he can enter his number. "Give me your address, and I'll come to you." He's about to open his mouth, but I place my index finger on it. "Don't argue." We swap numbers and back away from each other.

"I've got to get back to work, but I'll talk to you later." He walks away, and I'm about to head back out front when I hear a locker door closing. I turn and see Jack shaking his head.

"Ana, I couldn't help but overhear. You're going out with Christian?"

"Yes, and I really don't want to hear your lecture. I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into. You're too good of a person to get used and thrown away. Know that I'm here if you need a friend."

* * *

 **CPOV**

"Christian, are you sure you don't want to join your dad and me for dinner?", my mom asks. I keep the phone on speaker and continue scrambling around the kitchen where I'm making dinner for Ana. I'm not sure what the hell possessed me to offer to cook. It would've been much better and easier had we gone out, but I opened my mouth. I spent who knows how long in the grocery store getting things for dinner. One pro is we'll be alone.

"Thank you for the invite, but I've already got plans." I see on my watch it's almost six, the time I told Ana to be here. "Mom, I hate to do this, but I've got to finish getting ready."

"Ok", she giggles. "Have fun with whatever plans you've got." I set the phone down just as there's a knock at the door. Opening the door I see Ana who's wearing a knee length teal dress that has small cut outs on the sides.

"Wow. You look amazing", I say. I wave her inside the apartment.

"Thanks." She stands by the door and takes in the apartment's open floor plan. "This is a nice place."

"Thank you. We're standing in the kitchen, and there's the living room." I point to the living room which flows right off the kitchen. "And I sleep over there." I nod to the partition that separates the living and sleeping areas. "The bathroom is over on the left."

"Maybe I can get a better tour later", she says with a mischievous grin.

"Maybe. We're having baked chicken, but it's not ready yet. In the meantime, would you like a glass of wine?"

"I would." I grab two glasses and pour each of us a glass of red wine. She sits down on the sofa and takes her glass from me. I take the seat next to her and clink my glass to hers. "Cheers."

"Cheers." She takes a small sip of the wine. "How has your day been?"

"It's been good. I did some writing and then went grocery shopping for tonight. How was your day?"

"It's been ok", she shrugs. "I went for a run this morning and then cleaned. Exciting, huh?"

"Very", I chuckle. "I want to apologize in advance if I seem nervous tonight. I haven't done much dating in the past."

"Ah. I see. You've mostly hooked up?"

"Yeah, but I want more than that with you." She takes another drink of her wine.

"I've been on dates, but I haven't done the hooking up thing. I've only been sexual with one guy, and that was one time in high school. I've been feeling things for you that I haven't felt for anyone." She takes a large gulp of her wine and sets the glass down. "Lately I've been finding myself speaking my mind more freely so I might as well keep it up. I was so the other night after the kiss. I kept replayig that kiss over in my mind, and that got me a little worked up." I shift in my seat. Before she can continue I see smoke coming from the kitchen. I jump up and run to the oven. I open the oven door and pull out the very crisp baked chicken.

"Confession. When I said I cook I was lying a little. Well...a lot." I set the pan on the counter by the sink. "We can order in or go out. It's up to you."

"It doesn't matter. I'm not very hungry right now." Her biting that damn lip feels like déjà vu, but unlike last time I take control and grab the side of her face, pulling her lips to mine. The kiss is even more intense and passionate this go around. Without moving my lips from hers I pick her up and place her on the kitchen island. My right hand travels down her body and slips underneath her dress.

"Mmm", she moans as I push the fabric of her panties aside. She's soaked! She pouts when I stop kissing her.

"Were you this wet after the other kiss?"

"No." I grin and resume kissing her. I tease her clit by moving my finger around it. She pushes against me, letting me know she wants me. I oblige and thrust two fingers inside her. Feeling her wetness and hearing her moans makes me harder than I've ever been. Her lips part from mine, and she arches back with her orgasm. Once her body has stopped shaking she gets off the island and pulls me past the partition and to the bed. "I need more."

"Me too", I murmur. She steps back and removes her dress. She's standing in front of me in only those soaked panties and matching white lace bra. "So fucking beautiful." She unhooks the bra and slides her panties down while I take off my shirt. She then takes over and unzips my jeans. My rock hard cock springs out. She wraps her hand around it and gives it a few pumps. I gently push her on to the bed. The realization hits me that I'll only be the second guy she's been with. It's a fact that pleases yet also terrifies me. She scowls and tries to reach for me. "Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't be naked on your bed if I weren't." After debating a little more I reach into the top drawer of my nightstand and grab a condom. I tear open the wrapper and roll the condom on. I ease Ana's legs apart and glide myself inside her. We kiss as I slowly thrust in and out. "I'm not going to break", she whispers. I push deeper inside her as the sound of our bodies moving together is joined by raindrops pattering against the windows. Ana grips the sheets underneath her while my release builds. I try to hold off as much as I can, but it's impossible.

"I'm almost there", I say. She bucks her hips and pushes harder as her eyes darken.

"Me too." My body gives in as I come. "Christian." The tone of Ana's voice tells me her orgasm has also hit. She kisses me one more time and giggles. "Are you glad dinner burnt?"

"Yes because we skipped right to dessert."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **C POV**

The loud boom of thunder stirs me awake. I open my eyes and see the flash of lightning outside the window by the bed. I rub my eyes and look over at Ana's gorgeous body wrapped in the sheets. I kiss the top of her head, trying my best not to wake her. She's probably exhausted from our not one, not two, but three rounds of sex. The sound of a smaller rumble fills the room.

"Is that your stomach?", Ana asks sleepily.

"I think so, and I'm sorry it woke you." She shifts closer and grins.

"I was half awake." She runs a trail down my chest with her index finger. "We never got to have dinner."

"Although we did have one hell of a dessert", I smirk. I reluctantly slide out of the bed. "I might not be an expert cook, but I'm capable of using the microwave to cook some frozen tv dinners." She raises up in the bed, keeping the sheet in front of her chest. "Baby, there's no need to be shy now. I've already seen all you've got." She rolls her eyes and gets off the bed. I watch as she puts on her panties and the dark blue dress shirt I was wearing earlier.

"It's a little big", she says.

"That's what she said", I joke. "Seriously, that shirt looks much better on you than on me." She pads around the bed and kisses me. I want to take the kiss further, but the growl of her stomach stops me. "Clearly I'm not the only one who's hungry." I put my boxers and jeans back on but decide to remain shirtless. "I was joking about microwaving the tv dinners. How about we order a pizza?"

"Pizza is fine with me, but I also don't mind microwave tv dinners. Kate's not much of a cook either so we have them on the rare nights she cooks." I keep her comment in mind while opening the freezer. She peeks around me and points to a frozen chicken nugget dinner. "Those are delicious."

"One of my personal favorites."

* * *

Once our dinners are heated, we sit at my small kitchen table. I can't help but steal glances at Ana as she dips her chicken nuggets in ketchup.

"More wine?", I ask.

"Please." I pour her more of the red wine and then some more for myself. "Can I just say this has been the best first date ever. Heck. It's probably the best date ever."

"Thanks to the frozen chicken nuggets and wine", I laugh.

"They're only a small part. I've had a really nice time." I reach across the table and take her hand in mine.

"So have I. Does this mean you're up for a second date?"

"Maybe", she grins. I push my chair back and stalk over to her, pulling her from her chair and then picking her up in my arms. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to convince you to give me that second date."

* * *

 **A POV**

"I'm working on some ideas to help generate more business", Lisa says during our staff meeting the next afternoon. "One is to build an outdoor patio area."

"I like that idea", Rocco replies. "What about doing a theme night each week? For example we could a seventies night and have an entire _Saturday Night Fever_ vibe going."

"I love that movie", Ellie says giddily.

"Good idea, " Lisa nods from her chair next to me. Across the table is Christian who's been wearing a sexy smirk the entire time. "Does anyone have anything they'd like to discuss?" People glance around the room and answer with no. That is everyone except for Jack who raises his hand. His glaring at Christian and me hasn't gone unnoticed. "Jack?"

"Lisa, I first want to tell you how happy I am to be working here. I look forward to each night I'm working, and that's thanks to you being such a wonderful boss."

"Suck up", coughs Dave who works the front door. It's been increasingly apparent that Jack's not a popular guy around here. Jack ignores Dave and continues.

"However, I'd like to make a suggestion that dating among the staff be prohibited." He looks at Christian and then at me.

"And why do you make such a suggestion?", Lisa asks.

"Because it seems people get distracted when working with someone they're dating, and the last thing we want is for customers to be ignored. Right?"

"I'd never want a customer to feel ignored, but I also want to trust my staff enough so they won't let their personal relationships affect their work." She shifts her focus on me. "May I use you as an example?"

"Sure", I say, knowing she's about to use the niece/aunt relationship. Everyone now knows Lisa's my aunt, but they haven't treated me any differently. "The fact that Ana's my niece hasn't affected how either of us do our jobs."

"But you and Ana aren't making googly eyes at each other", Jack scoffs. "During this very meeting I've seen two people with their eyes on just each other."

"I haven't been looking at Ellie the entire time", Rocco counters. Ellie fidgets in her seat.

"I wasn't talking about you", Jack snarls. "I was talking about Christian and Ana." Lisa once again looks at me. "Ana's new but is being robbed of the chance to do well because Lover Boy Grey can't keep his hormones in check. I really thought the Veronica thing would have taught him a lesson." Confused, I furrow a brow. "Oops. I thought Ana knew about that. My bad."

"Unbelievable. I didn't think you could be an even bigger asshole than you already were, but there you go", Christian hisses at Jack. "Jealous Jack, the Jackass."

"Enough", Lisa warns. "Let's end this meeting before things get more out of control." People quickly start dispersing from the room. Soon the only ones left are Lisa, Jack, Christian, and myself. Jack stands and looks pleased with himself.

"I'm going to head home", he says. He starts walking away but halts at my chair. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that."

"Jack, go." Jack saunters out the door, leaving me to deal with the fallout. "I've got some paperwork to work on so I'll let the two of you talk", Lisa says to Christian and me.

"Wait", I say. "I want you to know that what Jack said isn't true."

"There's nothing going on here?" Lisa motions between Christian and me.

"There is", Christian answers. "But it won't affect our work."

"I trust you." Lisa gives me a reassuring smiles and heads to her office. I draw out a deep breath as Christian inches towards me.

"That was some meeting, huh?", Christian laughs murmurs. "I'm sorry you had to hear Jack say that shit."

"Who's Veronica?", I ask. He runs his hands through his hair.

"She used to work here. The two of us would flirt here and there, and then we eventually started fooling around. It was more like a friends with benefits thing. It's also why Jack doesn't like me. He liked Veronica but didn't say anything until he found out I was messing around with her. He finally told her how he felt, but the feeling wasn't mutual. That made him hate me even more."

"What happened next?" Christian moves to the chair next to me.

"Jack and I would butt heads on a regular basis, making things here tense. Veronica and I stopped what we had going about the same time she decided to move back to Tacoma where she was from. Jack was sure she was leaving because of me, but it wasn't." I rub the side of my head, digesting all I've been told.

"I can't help but wonder if I'm just a Veronica replacement. Am I simply a fuck buddy for you? Maybe I'm also some sort of a pawn in your pissing contest with Jack."

"Ana, no. You're not a pawn. I like being around you, and I want us to have a real relationship." I see the sincerity in his eyes and hear it in his voice.

"I want that too, but I don't want it to interfere with our work." He nods and starts to lean in for a kiss, but I move away. "That means no kissing."

"But we're not on the clock", he whispers. I give him a small peck on the lips before standing.

"I need to talk to Lisa."

"Ok. I'll wait here."

* * *

"Can we talk?", I ask Lisa. She closes the folder in front of her and waves to one of office chairs. I sit down and knot my fingers. "I want to apologize for what happened out there. Here I was not wanting to draw attention because I'm your niece, and I did it anyway."

"Technically the attention was thrown at you by Jack, but I understand what you're saying. I've been suspecting there was something going on between you and Christian, but I refrained from saying anything since it wasn't affecting your work."

"You knew about Christian and Veronica?"

"Yeah although it wasn't a big deal until Jack and Christian began getting into arguments. "Maybe the aunt part of me should've told you."

"It's ok", I shrug.

"I'm happy for you, Ana. You deserve to be happy and find love."

"So do you."

"This isn't about me", she giggles. "It's about you." I tilt my head. "If you must know...I might be going on a date next week."

"With who?"

"A friend I've had for a while. Nothing is set in stone yet. We need to see if our schedules will allow us to go out."

"I hope they do because you need to take your own advice."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Tonight wasn't so bad", I say as Christian drives me home following our shift at the club. I wasn't sure what to expect following this afternoon's wild staff meeting, but the night went smoooth.

"It was a slow night which is nothing for a Sunday, but it was indeed a good night."

"Jack kept to himself."

"Thank fuck", Christian mutters, giving me a sideways glance before putting his attention back on the road. He turns on to my street and parks on the curb. He's barely gotten the vehicle stopped when I unbuckle my seat beat and move over to him, crashing my lips on to his. His hands slip underneath my shirt as we continue making out.

"I've been wanting to kiss you all night", I whisper.

"Me too. It was a long damn night."

"We'd better stop or we'll get into trouble." I slide back over to my seat and grab my purse. "Kate texted earlier and said her flight from New York was delayed so she's not home. Do you want to come up for a bit?"

"Hmm", he says. "Sure." He quickly unsnaps his seat belt and gets out of the car. I can't help but smile when he takes my hand. We walk into the building and on to the elevator. The electricity is cackling, but we manage to keep our hormones in check. We arrive on my floor, and I point to my apartment.

"Here it is.", I say. I unlock and open the door. I turn on the floor lamp as Christian closes the door.

"This is nice." I drop my purse on the sofa and take his coat off for him. "What are you doing?"

"Just trying to make sure you're comfortable." I grab the hem of his black Delirium tee and smirk. "You'd be more comfy without this on." I take off his shirt and feel my panties moisten at his chiseled chest.

"In that case." He lifts my shirt over my head and throws it on to the floor. The next thing I know we've moved the sofa where I'm straddling him. I rock back and forth, increasing the friction between us. I move my hand down and unzip his jeans.

"Ummm...", I hear. Christian and I both freeze at the sound of Kate's voice. Christian hurries in zipping his pants back while I jump off him. I scramble for my shirt, avoiding eye contact with Kate. I hand Christian his shirt. "You should've locked the door."

"Well, I forgot", I murmur. "Besides, you said your flight was delayed, and I wasn't expecting you this soon."

"Obviously", Kate giggles. "I got back sooner than I thought, but my phone died so I couldn't call you. Christian, it's nice to see you again."

"Hi", Christian says with a wave. He shuffles over to me. "I should go."

"Ok", I reply. I ignore Kate's presence in the room and kiss him. I walk with him past Kate and to the door. "I'll talk to you later."

"Laters, baby." I close and lock the door. Turning around, I find Kate grinning like a loon. "Gloat all you want."

"Oh, I am. Remember that time you walked in on me when I was going at with Tad?"

"You mean Brad?", I ask.

"Yeah, him. Anyways, this is sort of payback for that. I'm guessing that date went well?" I told Kate over the phone earlier that I had gone on a date with Christian, but some of the details were left out of the conversation. The biggest omission was that I slept with Christian. She drops back in one of the arm chairs as I sit on the sofa. "Well?"

"The date went good. So, tell me about your conference."

"It was great. I learned a lot of interesting things that I plan on using with my articles. I also got to meet some very nice people from other magazines. Of course the beauty of New York made the trip even better.

"It sounds like a good trip." She stretches and yawns.

"It was, but I'm happy to be home." She stands and picks up her suitcase. "Hotel beds are never as comfortable as my bed here. I'm going to hold off on my unpacking until tomorrow. You going to bed?"

"Yeah", I answer, getting to my feet. "Goodnight."

* * *

"I feel like I've been out of the loop", Claire Thomas tells me as she and I have lunch at Capri Cafe. We've known each other since our freshman year of college. During our senior year she married her boyfriend Matt. "I've been so busy getting the new house set up along with trying to get the interior design business going." She grins and takes a drink of her tea.

"How is all of that going?"

"Good. When we first moved into the house I wasn't sure it would ever get done. I'm surprised Matt didn't throw his back out from moving the furniture around so much."

"I'm sure it looks great", I say, adding a dash of salt to my fries.

"Once it's finally finished we're going to have a party to celebrate. Tell me about what's been going on in your life. How do you like working at Delirium?"

"I like it. I think I've gotten used to getting home early in the mornings which my dad didn't like at first. He's starting to come around."

"He's still ok with you not working at his company?"

"Yeah. He and my mom want me to be happy, and right now I am." I bite into a fry as Claire eyes me.

"You certainly are happy. Who's the guy?"

"Christian. He works at Delirium. It's still new, but I really like him."

"Are you able to control yourselves at work?", she teases, waggling a brow.

"Of course", I answer. "At work we're keeping things professional. Our romantic status has no bearing on how we do our work."

"I'm happy for you", she says as her phone buzzes with a text. She looks at the screen and starts fanning herself.

"Are you ok?"

"Uh...yeah. It's gotten a little hot in here. They must've turned the heat up." I snort. "What's funny about it being hot in here?"

"It's not hot in here. I think the reason behind you suddenly becoming hot is in that text."

"Fine", she sighs. "Matt sent me that told me how much he loves me and what he wants us to do tonight." I hold up my hand and shake my head.

"I don't want to hear the rest. Keep your sexting details to yourselves."

* * *

 **C POV**

"How's the writing going?", Ana asks. I have the phone on speaker while I type out words to my book. The untitled project focuses on Ben, a guy who decides to take a trip across the country. Before he's even halfway through the trip he meets Liv, a woman who he's instantly attracted to.

"It's going well. I've got a thousand words down and plan on getting at least another two thousand words out today."

"Awesome. Are you going to let me read some of your work?"

"Eventually", I reply. "Even though I'm being productive I wish you were off tonight."

"What would we be doing if I were off?"

"Go out for a nice dinner and then come back to my place where I'd take you on every possible surface." I hear her breathing change. "Sounds like you'd like that."

"Very much. Crap. I've got to get finish getting ready. I'll talk to you later, ok?"

"Ok. I hope you have a nice evening at work. Bye."

* * *

I'm steadily making headway with my writing. My goal was to get three thousand words today, and it looks like I might even end up with more. I've only stopped long enough to take get a quick snack. I move my fingers off the keyboard and stand to stretch. I'm considering texting Ana to see if she's on break, but I also don't want to interrupt her at work. Before I can make up my mind I hear a knock at the door. I open the door and find a blonde haired woman on the other side. She's a woman who I'm familiar with. Veronica Harrison. She and I worked together at Delirium and eventually started a friends with benefits relationship. We ended things around the same time she moved back to her home city of Tacoma.

"Veronica", I murmur.

"Hi", she says with a wide grin. "It's been a while. Can I come in?" I move from the door and allow her inside the apartment.

"What brings you here?"

"My friend Meredith's baby shower which is tomorrow. I'm staying at her house, but I wanted to see some of my other friends before heading there. You were on my list so I thought I'd take the chance and stop by here before heading to Delirium. I would've called first, but I lost a lot of my numbers when old phone broke. Can I sit?" She points to one of the chairs.

"Sure. Have a seat." I sit down on the sofa while she sits down in the chair. "How's Tacoma?", I ask.

"It's great. I'm working as a receptionist at my dad's accounting firm. It's not the most exciting job, but I like it."

"That's great."

"How have you been?", she asks.

"I've been good", I reply. She pushes a piece of her behind her ear and stares at the other end of the sofa. "What?"

"I was just thinking about the time we were on that sofa. We couldn't wait to get to the bed so we just fucked right there." She laughs softly. "Even though we agreed to end things I'd be lying if I said I don't sometimes think about what we had. Do you?"

"No." Her face falls flat. "I'm sorry but no."

"It's ok. Are you still single?"

"I recently started seeing someone." She smiles, but it's clearly fake.

"Good for you", she says as she stands. "I've got to get going." I stand and walk her to the door. She steps out into the hallway and sighs. "It was good seeing you."

"It was good seeing you too", I say. She wraps her arms around me and then places a small peck on my cheek before walking down the hallway towards the elevator. My eyes lock on Ana who's only a few feet from my door. Hurt is etched on her face, and I know exactly the reason for it.

"Lisa scheduled too many servers, and it was slow so we drew straws to see who'd leave. I won and thought I'd surprise you with your favorite food from the diner", she says, holding up the plastic bag. She steps closer and practically shoves the bag at me. "Here."

"What you saw was nothing. Veronica's in town and wanted to stop by to say hi."

"Veronica? Your co-worker from the Delirium who you hooked up with? Well, I'm glad you got to see each other. I've got a headache and am going to go home." She's about to move away, but I grab her by the hand.

"Don't go. Come inside." She looks down the hallway and then back to me. "Please."

"Fine", she mumbles. We enter the apartment, and she lets go of my hand. "You should eat your food before it gets cold."

"It can wait", I say as I place the food on the kitchen table. "What can't wait is us talking. Nothing happened in here with Veronica and me. She hugged me and gave a friendly goodbye kiss...on the cheek."

"I suppose I shouldn't be upset since we haven't discussed whether or not we're exclusive."

"Then let's have that discussion right here, right now. Are you seeing anyone else?"

"No", she scoffs. "And I don't plan on seeing anyone else. What about you?"

"I'm only planning on seeing the woman in front of me." She still seems bothered. "You're not happy with that answer?"

"It's not that. I saw her face as she was walking away, and she looked like a woman whose heart had been broken. You said it wasn't serious with the two of you, yet I wonder if her feelings for you were deeper than she let on." I recall Veronica's remark about sometimes thinking about what we had.

"I'm going to be honest with you. Veronica said she sometimes thinks about us. Whether she actually has deeper feelings for me is something I don't know, but I no longer have any feelings for her. I'm only attracted to and have feelings for you." I pull her to me. She finally smiles as I grasp her hand. "It's you."

"And it's you."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **C POV**

"Are you interested in this show?", Ana asks me. I look from the screen of some reality show I stopped on during my search for something to watch.

"Not really." I hold the remote out to her. "You want to find something?" After grabbing the remote and tossing it on the coffee table she pushes me on to my back and straddles me.

"I'd rather do some of this instead." She kisses me hungrily. My hands are about to slip underneath her blouse when someone knocks on the door.

"Ignore it", I murmur, but the knocking continues.

"Christian", my mother says. I look at Ana apologetically as she rolls off me.

"First Kate and now my mom." Ana smooths her blouse and takes a deep breath. "She'll adore you", I assure Ana. I open the door to my mom who's holding a large bag in her hand. "Mom, hi." She kisses my cheek and hands me the bag.

"I brought you some groceries."

"Thank you, but you didn't have to", I say, placing the bag on the kitchen counter. I hold out my hand for Ana who's standing nervously. "Mom, I'd like for you to meet someone." Ana steps forward and takes my hand. "This is Anastasia Steele, my girlfriend." Both my mom and Ana smile at the word girlfriend.

"Ana, it's so nice to meet you", my mom says, extending her hand. Ana releases my hand and shakes my mom's.

"Thank you. It's nice to meet you as well", Ana replies.

"I can't stay long, but I do have time to hear about how the two of you met."

"We met at Delirium. Ana recently started working there as a server", I answer. "She was immediately attracted to me and practically begged me to take her out." I smirk as Ana's mouth gapes in shock. "I'm kidding."

"My son and his sense of humor", my mom sighs.

"One of the things I like about him", Ana says.

"Well, I'm happy for the two of you. I wish I could stick around longer, but I've got to get going. The two of you should come over for dinner one night."

"That would be great." She waves to Ana and hugs me one more time. After she's gone I pad back over to Ana. "I told you she'd adore you."

"You're not just saying that?", Ana asks.

"It's the truth."

* * *

"So is Ana like your girlfriend?", Rocco asks me while we're getting the bar set up for the night. "Do you doodle her name on your notebook?"

"Yes and maybe." I place the fresh bottle of vodka with the rest of the bottles. "What about you and Ellie?"

"We haven't defined things, but we really like each other. She asked me yesterday if I wanted to hang out today before work. Thinking we'd be doing something like going to a movie I said yes. She wanted to go to the gym."

"What's wrong with that? You go to the gym." He begins polishing some of the glasses.

"True, but Ellie is hardcore when it comes to the gym. I could barely keep up with the girl. I had puddles of sweat around me, but the girl was like eh." I don't tell him Ellie has walked up behind him and is listening to the conversation. "When it was time to leave I could hardly walk to the car."

"I would've carried you", Ellie says. Rocco spins around. "Why didn't you tell me to slow down?"

"I...", he stammers. "I don't know. You were in your zone, and I didn't have the heart to tell you to slow down."

"I want you to be honest with me. When we hang out again you can pick what we do. Does that sound good?"

"Sounds good." Pleased, Ellie turns on her heels and heads back to getting the tables ready for the night. I meanwhile catch sight of Ana who's just walked from the back. She looks over at me and waves.

"I'll be right back", I tell Rocco. I step out from the bar and start towards Ana. "Is it bad I'm already wanting the night to be over?" She moves a stool from one table to the other and then looks up at me. "You're thinking the same."

"Maybe", she shrugs as Jack saunters by. I can't see his eyes behind his black sunglasses, but I know the bastard has his eyes on Ana. He gets to his booth and finally takes off the sunglasses.

"It's uncomfortable having you stare at me!", he yells. I roll my eyes and redirect my attention back to Ana.

"Don't let him get to you", she says, gently touching my arm.

"I'm trying, but I can't help but feel the guy is just waiting to pounce." Ana freezes and zeros on the door leading to the back. "What?" Standing in the doorway are Lisa and Veronica. A week ago Veronica showed up unexpectedly at my place.

* * *

 **A POV**

"I wonder what she's doing here", I say as Veronica talks to Lisa.

"I don't know. She told me last week she was in town for a friend's baby shower. Now though, I have no idea." Once their conversation is over, Lisa goes back to the back while Veronica walks over to Christian and me.

"Hi", she says, smiling a little too much for my liking at Christian.

"Veronica, hey", Christian replies. "There's someone I'd like for you to meet. This is Ana Steele. She's a server here and also my girlfriend.

"Ah, Ana, hello. Christian told me he was dating someone. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise", I say. "Christian said you were living in Tacoma. What brings you back to Seattle?"

"I was embarrassed to tell Christian when I saw him last week during my visit, but I missed Seattle. Sure Tacoma is where my family is, however, I started feeling as if I didn't belong there. When I'm in Seattle I feel more like myself."

"You're moving back here?", Christian asks.

"I am which is what brings me to Delirium. I came to see if Lisa had any job openings, but unfortunately she said she has all the help she needs at this time. Something will come along though."

"Where are you staying?", I ask.

"With my friend Candace who's waiting on me. Christian, it was good to see you as always." She runs her tongue over her lips and then looks at me. "And Ana, it was nice to meet you. I'm sure I'll be seeing both of you around. Bye."

"Bye", Christian and I say together. Veronica is halfway to the door when Jack runs and catches up with her. Christian said Jack had the hots for Veronica before so he could have hopes of getting somewhere with her now.

"So...", I murmur. "Veronica's back in town." Christian gently brushes his hand down the side of my face.

"It doesn't mean anything to me", he says. "I'm standing with the only woman I want."

"I know, and I'm not going to let her return to Seattle affect us. I've got to get back to getting things ready for tonight. I'll talk to you later."

"Laters, baby."

* * *

"Ellie, I'm going to grab some more straws from the storage room." Ellie glances over her shoulder and nods. The night started out fairly busy, but the appearance of thunderstorms has slowed things down. I open the door to the storage room and see that the napkins are on the third shelf. Fortunately there's a step stool by the wall. I stand on the stool and start reaching for the straws at the same time I feel someone else's presence in the room. Grabbing the straws, I turn and see Jack leaning against the door.

"Need some help?", he asks.

"Nope. I've got it." My feet touch the ground while he continues watching me. "Did you need something?"

"I was on my way to take a break when I saw you come in here. I wanted to see how you're doing."

"I'm good." He sighs, making me raise a brow in confusion. "I get the impression there's more to your question."

"I noticed you and Christian talking to Veronica earlier."

"Yes. She seems nice."

"She is. I got to talk to her for a few minutes before she left. She told me that she's back in town. She also said she came here to see about a job, but Lisa's not hiring. I guess that might be because you were the last one hired."

"I don't know about that. I really should get back to work though." I walk to the door which is still blocked by him. "Jack, how about you stop beating around the bush and just get to the point?"

"You've got both the job and the guy Veronica wants. One thing I know about her is she's ambitious and likes to go after what she wants." He's clearly trying to get a rise out of me, but it's not going to work.

"I'm not sure what she wants, and I really don't care."

"You should", he sighs. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"I won't be", I hiss through gritted teeth. "I'm secure with my feelings and my relationship, two things that really are none of your business." I push through him and head back to the front.

* * *

"Are you not feeling well?", Christian asks me. We're at his place where we're unwinding after work. Curled up on the sofa, I'm wearing the sweat pants and tee shirt I brought in my overnight bag.

"Not really", is all I say, not wanting to go in detail. He bends down in front of me and touches my forehead.

"You don't feel like you've got a fever. It could be a stomach virus."

"That's not what it is." I cover my face and groan. "I got my period this afternoon." I peek through my fingers and see him still in front of me. "Not the sexiest thing to hear. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine. I just feel kind of blah. Also...we can't...you know..."

"Ana, I'm fine with not doing anything. As long as we're together that's all that matters." He stands and settles on the other end of the sofa, placing my legs in his lap. He then starts massaging my feet. I've yet to tell him about what Jack said, but I also realize I shouldn't keep it from him.

"I've got to tell you about something that happened at work. I was in the storage room when Jack appeared." Christian's face is already turning red. I raise up and clasp his hands with mine. "Don't get mad and go all Incredible Hulk." That gets a chuckle from him.

"I'll try my best. What did he want?"

"To see how I was doing with Veronica being back in town. He stated that I've got not only the job she wants but also the guy she wants. It was crystal clear that he was trying to manipulate and make me worried."

"That mother fucker", Christian growls. "I should've known that he couldn't leave things alone. I'm going to go to his place and knock the taste out of his mouth." He starts getting to his feet, but I pull him back down.

"You're not going anywhere. This is why I didn't want to tell you at work because I was scared of your reaction. The last thing you want is to be fired thanks to Jack. I'm not letting him get to me. His words don't mean crap. I trust you and have faith in us."

"Fine. I won't go after him tonight", he mutters. "Besides, I'd rather be here with you than taking down that scum." I wiggle both feet and grin.

"Good. Now how about finishing that massage?"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Hey. I figured you would've been gone to work by now", I say to Kate. I've just arrived home following my sleepover at Christian's.

"I took a vacation day", she replies, glancing up from her bowl of cereal. She waves her spoon and grins. "I see you spent the night again at Christian's." I pour some coffee into a cup and sit down across from her. "I'm guessing the two of you have taken things to _that_ level."

"I'm not going to give you details, but we have gone to _that_ level."

"Not even a few details?" She rubs her hands together in hopes of me spilling about my sex life.

"All I'll say is it's amazing. Do you have anything special planned for your day off?", I ask as she eats the last of her cereal.

"The thought of cleaning out my closet and then doing some more long delayed chores crossed my mind. However, I'm hoping my best friend and roommate doesn't have plans because I'd like for us to spend the day together." She once again has a hopeful gleam in her eyes. "I'll understand if you've got other plans."

"I don't have anything planned." She jumps from her chair and runs over to hug me. "Easy now."

"I'm sorry. I got kind of carried away. It's just our schedules have been so opposite lately. When I'm working you're here or with Christian. When I'm home you're working." She has a valid point. We don't spend as much time together as we used to.

"Then I say we make up for it."

* * *

"Are you sure it looks ok?", Kate asks me as we're sitting at our table in Katsu Burger. I glance up from my menu and nod. Our day has consisted of getting manicures and hair cuts. I only got a trim, but Kate cut her hair just above her shoulder while also adding layers.

"Kate, I've never lied to you so when I say it looks great then it looks great."

"Thanks. It's going to take some time to get used to it." She finally opens her menu but stops and grins towards the front door. "The hottest guy just walked in the door", she whispers. I turnn in my chair to see a tall, blonde haired guy standing at the front. "Don't you think?"

"He's cute, but he's not.." I stop when I see Christian walk through the door. "Christian." He starts talking to Kate's hot guy.

"It seems my hot guy knows your guy", Kate says as Christian looks forward and sees me. The corners of his lips curl. He and the other guy make their way to our table. "They're coming this way." Kate straightens in her chair and tries to act casually.

"Ana, Kate, hi", Christian says.

"Hi", I reply.

"Hey", Kate adds, grinning at the guy who appears to only have eyes for her. Christian and I look back and forth between the two.

"Forgive my bad manners", Christian says. "Elliot, I'd like for you to meet my girlfriend Ana Steele." Elliot snaps out of his Kate daydream and looks at me.

"Ana, it's nice to meet you. Christian told me he had a girlfriend, but I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or not", Elliot laughs.

"He was definitely telling the truth." Kate kicks me underneath the table. "And this is my best friend and roommate Kate Kavanagh."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise", Kate replies. "Why don't you two join us?"

"We don't want to impose", Christian says as Kate shifts her eyes to me.

"Ana, they wouldn't be imposing, right?"

"Not at all. Grab some chairs and join us." Christian sits down in a chair next to me while Elliot settles into one across from Kate. The waitress brings over two more menus and takes our drink orders.

"What are the two of you doing today?", Elliot asks Kate and me.

"We got manicures and haircuts. I only got a trim, but Kate a considerable amount cut and added some layers", I answer.

"I noticed that. Kate, it looks great", Christian says.

"Thank you."

"It's beautiful just like the rest of you", Elliot says.

"Why thank you." Kate blushes as our drinks arrive. "So, what are you and Christian doing today?"

"Just hanging out. I do contracting and have been working on a subdivision, but the heavy rain from last night put me on a delay. I thought why not take advantage of it and hang out with my brother. Christian told me Ana works at Delirium. What do you do, Kate?"

"I write a columm for a lifestyle magazine called The Seattle Scene."

"I'll have to check that out."

* * *

 **C POV**

"I love that movie", Kate giggles. "I've probablys seen it a hundred times." She and Elliot have spent the entire lunch talking and getting to know each other.

"A hundred? I've seen it two hundred times", Elliot chuckles.

"It's like we're not even here", Ana whispers with a smile.

"Yeah, but it seems like they're really hitting it off", I reply as she steals a fry from my plate. "Do you have plans tonight since you've got the night off?"

"I thought about getting a drink at my boyfriend's work. He's a bartender and makes some pretty good drinks."

"Is that so?" She nods and takes a few more fries from my plate.

"Yep. He's great at a lot of things."

"I'm sure there are some things he's good at that you haven't seen yet."

"Ewww. Keep that to yourselves", Elliot jokes. "Kate and I don't want to know those kinds of things."

"I wouldn't mind hearing about the things you're good at", Kate says to Elliot. "Or you could show me instead." He groans and closes his eyes. He reopens his his eyes and then rubs them. "What's wrong?"

"I'm making sure you're not a dream." He rolls his head towards me. "This joint lunch was spontaneous, but it's been one of the best lunches I've ever had."

"Would you two just go ahead and exchange numbers already", Ana sighs. Elliot and Kate oblige and hand their phones to the other. They enter their numbers and pass the phones back.

"Elliot, I don't see your name", Kate murmurs.

"It's not listed as Elliot. I put it under Irresistibly Charming and Sexy", he shrugs. "I'm sure you don't have another one like that in your contacts."

"You're definitely one of a kind", I snort.

* * *

"Here you go. Enjoy", Rocco says to the guy who ordered a Mind Eraser drink. I hand the woman next to the guy her Blue Hawaiian drink. Rocco and I then step back and enjoy a lull. He winks at Ellie who walks by and winks at him. "How much do you wish Ana were working tonight?"

"I'm glad she's got the night off so she can relax. She said she might stop here by for a bit though." Jack walks by and mumbles something. "If you're going to say something say it so I can hear you." He stops and glares at me. "You didn't seem to have a problem telling Ana all that bullshit."

"What?", he asks.

"You tried to get under her skin by talking about Veronica being back in town. The joke is on you. She didn't fall for it, and we're stronger than ever."

"I don't have time for this. I've got people wanting to hear music." He heads back to his booth.

"I'm glad I didn't have to break up a fight betwen the two of you", Rocco says. "Speaking of Veronica..." He motions to Jack's DJ booth where Veronica's standing. He leans in and whispers something in her ear. She throws her head back and giggles before sauntering towards the bar. "Veronica, hey."

"Hi, Rocco", she says. "Christian, hi."

"Hey." She slides on to one of the stools. "Would you like a drink?"

"Sure. I'll have an Apple Martini." I start working on the drink. "Has it been busy tonight?"

"It's been steady", Rocco answers. He moves further down the bar to wait on another customer.

"Steady is good." I set her drink down the bar. She takes a sip and smiles. "You still make the best drinks."

"Thank you."

"I don't see Ana around. Is she working tonight?"

"She has the night off but might stop by", I reply. She purses her lips and takes another sip of her drink. "I assume you're still getting settled in at your friend's?"

"Yeah. I like staying there, but I hope it's as temporary as possible. Having my place allows me to do whatever I want whenever I want. I've got a job interview at a boutique tomorrow."

"Good luck with it." She looks over her shoulder at Jack and then back at me.

"Jack asked me out", she says. She narrows her eyes. "I think I'm going to say yes." She continues watching me for a reaction. "What do you think?"

"I think it's your choice. If you want to go out with him then go out with him."

"When he told me before how he felt I turned him down, but it dawned on me that I never really gave him a chance. That's the least I could do, right?"

"Jack's not my favorite person, but if he's someone who you want to date then go for it." Her face falls flat as if she had been hoping for another reaction from me. She quickly downs the rest of her drink and pays.

"I'll see you around", she says. She stands and scurries back over to Jack. They once again whisper to each other. The night gets better when I see Ana. She's wearing a pair of tight jeans and a sleeveless black sequined blouse. She saunters to the bar.

"Hey there", she says softly.

"Hi. I was wondering if you were going to show up."

"I'm here." She gestures towards the DJ booth. "Veronica's here too, and it seems she and Jack are getting along well." Jack's showing Veronica the booth's equipment.

"She said he asked her out, and she might say yes. I told her to go for it if that's what she wants." Ana sits on one of the stools and taps her chin.

"Do you think it's possible she told you that to see how you'd react?" I lean my arms on the bar and nod.

"It crossed my mind. She acted like she wanted me to tell her not to go out with him, but she hurried away when I told her my opinion."

"Is it wrong that I've only just met her yet I don't trust her?"

"Baby, I'm starting to feel the same about her."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"I know we're both working tonight, but I was wondering if you might want to have an early dinner before our shift." Christian stops typing and glances up with a wide grin.

"Sure. Is there any place in particular you want to go?" I crinkle my nose and nod. "Where?"

"My parents'." I get to my feet and pad to the desk where he's been working on his book. "My mom and I talked on the phone last night, and I told her and I are dating. She already had an inkling though since she and Lisa had lunch yesterday during which Lisa mentioned that I had something very good happening in my life. I can't be upset with her hinting though because I do have something very good happening in my life." I place a trail of kisses down the side of his neck.

"Since you put it like that", he murmurs. "How can I say no? What time should we be there?"

"Five. I know it's a little early."

"Baby, five is fine. I'm going to warn you ahead that I'm going to be nervous. Since I've never really done relationships I've also never done the "meet the parents" thing. Naturally there's pressure especially when you're dating the one and only daughter."

"You'll do fine. Try not to sweat about it", I say assuringly.

"Sweating is what I might very well be doing."

"Someone else is going to be nervous tonight." He raises a brow. "Kate. She was tossing clothes all over the floor in an attempt to find the perfect outfit for her date with Elliot." Kate and Elliot met only yesterday, but Elliot wasted no time in asking Kate to dinner tonight.

"Then that makes three of us", Christian snickers. "Elliot texted me earlier. He's also nervous which he rarely gets."

"Here's hoping everyone has a great night."

* * *

"Ana, sweetheart." My mom hugs me and then turns to Christian who's still somewhat nervous despite me telling not to be. "And you must be Christian."

"Yes, ma'am", Christian answers.

"Please call me Carla and come on in." She steps to the side and waves us through the foyer and into the living room. "Ray had a meeting that ran over but should be home after dropping Michael off at home."

"Michael's my dad's best friend and right hand man at the office", I tell Christian as we sit down on the sofa.

"Michael's car is in the shop so your dad offered to pick him this morning and drop him off the evening. I wasn't sure what to cook for dinner so I went with pot roast. I hope that's ok."

"Pot roast is one of my favorites", Christian says in a less shaky voice. My mom sits down in one of the beige arm chairs.

"I'm sure you're going to love the one I prepared. I used the recipe given to me by Ray's mother Elizabeth." Christian looks at me and smiles. I've told him all about my Grandmother Elizabeth and how much she meant to me. He also knows how her death caused me to reevaluate my life and where it was going.

"I used to love helping her cook", I sigh. "I'd go to her house and watch in awe as she made the most delicious meals. I remember one day when I was about ten. My mom dropped me off at Grandmother's, and I went into the kitchen and found a dish of ravioli. It was covered in cheese and smelled so good. I told Grandmother that I wanted her to teach me how to make the ravioli."

"Did she?", Christian asks. My mom laughs in response.

"Sort of. She walked over to the trash can and picked out the cans from which the ravioli came. Chef Boyardee never tasted so good. That's just one of the many wonderful memories I have of her." Christian tightens his hold on my hand.

"I look forward to hearing more." I feel my mom watching until the phone rings.

"Ray's probably calling to let me know he's on his way", my mom says. She stands and hurries to answer the phone which is on the other side of the room.

"It's going great", I whisper to Christian.

"For now. I've still got to meet your dad." I place a hand on his left kneee which is bouncing. The sound of a car pulling into the driveway draws out attention. Moments later we hear the front door open and the sound of footsteps. My dad appears in the living room doorway, and Christian's knee bouncing increases.

* * *

 **C POV**

Have you ever watched a movie and knew something suspenseful was about to happen? It feels like I'm in one of the movies at this exact moment. Ana's father is standing in the doorway, and I'm nervous as fuck. Ana's been trying her best to ease me, but I can't help it.

"Hi", he says. Carla stands and kisses him as Ana gets to her feet. I somehow manage to get my feet to cooperate.

"Dad", Ana smiles, hugging her father. The hug ends, and his eyes zone in on me. _Dun dun dun!_

"You're Christian?" I smile, nod, and shake his extended hand.

"Yes, sir. It's nice to meet you", I reply.

"It's nice to meet you. How about we have dinner so I can interrogate you." Panic floods me, and Ray starts chuckling. "I mean get to know you."

"Ray, don't chase the boy away before he has dinner", Carla jokes.

"Christian, your plate is almost empty. Would you like some more food?", Carla asks me over halfway through dinner which has gone well. All of the apprehension I was feeling earlier is gone, and I've enjoyed getting to know Ana's parents.

"I believe I'll have some more macaroni and cheese", I answer. Ana picks up the bowl and starts scooping out large spoonfuls. "Easy there. I don't think I can eat that much."

"You can try", Ana giggles.

"Christian, what do like to do outside of working at Delirium?", Ray asks.

"Write. I'm working on a book that's got a long ways to go, but I hope to have it published one day."

"Maybe I'll have your book on my bookshelf. Reading is one of my favorite things to do."

"It's one of the things my mom, dad, and I all have in common", Ana adds. "My dad and I like to fish, but my mom not so much."

"Only because I've never had any luck", Carla sighs.

"That sounds like me", I tell her as I start working on my second helping of of macaroni and cheese. "My dad and brother always used to reel in gigantic fish while mine were the size of Goldfish." Before I know it my plate is once again near empty. "I can't believe I've eaten so much. I'm going to be miserable at work."

"You might find this hard to believe, but I've never been to Delirium during business hours. I've visited several times before closing, just never when it's been open."

"You and Dad aren't exactly the clubbing kind of couple", Ana replies, earning a raised brow from her mom. "I don't mean that as a bad thing."

"Maybe your mom and I should change that", Ray shrugs before taking a sip of his water. "Delirium has music and dancing, right?"

"Right", I answer. Jack's an asshole, but he is a good DJ. Of course I'd never tell him to his face.

"Ray, I just had the best idea!", Carla exclaims, clapping her hands. "After we've cleaned up from dinner we should change and go to Delirium." Ana's jaw drops. "I'm not sure what to wear, but I'm sure I'll find something club suitable."

"Just wait until everyone sees my dance moves", Ray smiles. "My Running Man and Chicken Dance are pretty good." Ana takes a long drink of her water as she starts looking nervous like I was earlier. "Ana, what do you think?"

"Um...sure", she stammers. "Go and have a nice time." Carla and Ray look at each other and burst into laughter.

"We're kidding. You were right when you said your mom and I aren't the clubbing kind of couple. However, she and I will have our own fun later." My eyes widen.

"Just when you think the conversation can't get any more awkward", Ana says. She turns to her dad and then her mom. "I see what you're doing. You're still kidding. Christian, they're messing with us again."

"Oh", I nod.

"Maybe. Maybe not", Carla says.

* * *

 **A POV**

"How did the dinner with Ana's parents go?", Rocco asks me.

"It went great, much better than I thought." I refill one of the salt shakers as a commotion erupts at the back of the club. I set the shaker down and see Ana being grabbed by a burly, dark haired guy who's seated at one of the tables. She's trying to get away from him, but it only seems to be making him angrier. "What the fuck is going on?" I leap over the bar and hurry to Ana. I see Jack grabbing the guy by the collar just as Todd, one of the bouncers, arrives to help.

"Let me go!", the guy shouts.

"So you can go after her?", Jack sneers. "I don't think so! Todd, get this loser out of here!" Todd grabs the guy and pushes him to the door before I have to a chance to take a shot. Ana's rubbing her left wrist.

"Baby, are you ok?" We might be at work, but I'm being both a co-worker and a boyfriend.

"Yeah. I'm fine. He asked for my number and started getting pissed when I said no."

"I saw the guy when he first got here", Jack says. "He walked in like he thought he was some hotshot. I saw him grab Ana and instantly ran to get him away."

"And I appreciate you helping. Thank you."

"Yeah. Thanks", I say. "I'm glad you were there."

"You're welcome", Jack replies. He and I aren't going to start being buds, yet I'm grateful for him getting the guy off Ana. "I've got to get back to the booth." He heads back to the DJ booth while I place my arm around Ana and lead us to the back.

"I can't believe I let that guy get the upper hand on me. I took a self defense class and should've been able to get away from him", she murmurs. "That sort of thing was one of the reasons my dad was against me working here." She sits down and sighs.

"Let me see your wrist." I bend down and see a small bruise already on the wrist. "It's been slow so I don't think Rocco will have a problem covering the bar while I take you to get this checked out."

"I'm not going to the hospital. It's just a bruise. I'll be fine." The back door opens and in walks Lisa. She sees my hand still resting on Ana's wrist. "Um...hi."

"Hi. I was going to take the night off but decided to come in and do some paperwork. It seems I made a good decision." I move my hand and stand.

"This isn't foreplay. I was checking on her wrist", I say.

"Her wrist? Ana, what happened to your wrist?"

"One of the customers got a little aggressive, but I'm fine." Lisa blows out a breath and examines Ana's wrist. "It's just sore. The guy got thrown out."

"I'm sorry that happened. Our customers are normally well behaved, but there can be times were things get out of hand. If you'd like you can cut out of here early and head home."

"No", Ana sighs. "I'm going to finish my shift."

"I can hear in your voice your mind is made up so I won't pressure you. I'll be in my office if you need anything."

"Are you sure you don't want to go home?", I ask Ana once Lisa's gone into the office.

"I'm sure. What I want to do is to try and forget what happened."

"What I want to do is find that guy and knock the shit out of him", I mumble.

"But you're not going to." Ana stands and gently brushes her hand along my cheek.

"Only because you don't want me to."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Life has been busy so updates for this story and my others aren't as often as they were in the past, but I promise all of my stories will be completed. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

 **A POV**

"Morning", Christian whispers. He pads into the kitchen of my apartment and wraps his arms around my waist, blowinging on the back of my neck. I giggle and spin around.

"That tickled." A devilish grin flashes on his face.

"Ah. That makes things interesting." I grab the wisk I was using.

"Don't even think about it", I say. He pretends to back away but quickly grabs the wisk and starts tickling my sides. I can't help but giggle loudly.

"Are we interrupting something?", we hear from the doorway. Christian moves his hands as we see Kate who's wearing a long pink robe. Next to her is Elliot who has on dress pants but no shirt.

"No", Christian replies. He glances at me before we both glance at Kate and Elliot. "I was going to call you later to ask how your date went last night, but it appears I have my answer."

"It went well", Elliot answers as Kate pushes him into the kitchen. She pours each of them a cup of coffee.

"I'm making breakfast if you two are hungry", I tell the pair.

"I'm famished", Kate sighs. "We had a huge dinner last night, but we ended up working up our appetites later." She waggles a brow as I groan.

"Christian and I got here about two. What time was it you guys got in?"

"It was around three. We went for a long drive and talked about anything and everything. By the time we got here Elliot looked really tired so I asked him to stay."

"I told her I was ok enough to drive home, but she kept insisting", Elliot adds. "I think she just didn't want our time together to end. I finally relented and came upstairs."

"Once he got in here he ended up finding his second wind, and we stayed up a while longer."

"Say no more", Christian mutters. He sidles next to me. "Let me help you with this."

"I've got it", I tell him. I see his eyes land on my the wrist that was grabbed by the unruly customer last night. "It's fine."

"Maybe you should still go to get it checked out."

"Something wrong?", Elliot asks.

"No", I shrug, wanting to get on with making breakfast.

"One of the customers got handsy with Ana last night. Her wrist has a bruise and is sore", Christian counters. I spin around and find Kate's hands on her hips. "Kate, don't freak out. I'm fine. The guy was thrown out. End of story."

"You're my best friend. Of course I'm going to freak out. Let me see your wrist." She steps closer and examines the wrist. "There is a bruise."

"A small one, and it's barely even sore anymore. Who wants some bacon in their omelet?"

"Me", Elliot says cheerfully. "You can never go wrong with bacon. Christian, I bet you wanted to knock the hell out of that guy."

"You have no idea", Christian mumbles over his cup. "I didn't, but I can't say I wouldn't if I were to see him again."

* * *

Talk of last night finally ended, and we enjoyed a nice breakfast during which Kate and Elliot couldn't stop flirting. After breakfast, Elliot and Christian went home. Kate and I are now doing some cleaning. I've just finished mopping the kitchen floor while Kate said she was going to vaccum the living room. The sound of the vaccum has yet to be heard.

"Did you give up on vaccuming?", I ask her. She's sitting on the sofa with a magazine in her hand.

"The vaccum won't come on." She points to the other side of the room where the vaccum is resting. I pad over to it and plug it in. It instantly comes on. "Huh. I guess it's fixed."

"It ususally helps if it's plugged in. If you want me to vaccum I'll do it." She drops her magazine on the coffee table and shakes her head.

"I'll do it", she says as there's a knock at the door. "After I get the door." When she opens the door I see my dad standing on the other side. He doesn't look happy, and Kate seems to pick up on it. "I'll let the two of you have some father/daughter time." She hurries to her room while I walk over hug my dad.

"Dad, hi. I was going to call you and Mom later to thank you again for last night's dinner. It was delicious, and Christian really enjoyed it."

"I'm glad", he says in a serious tone. "Christian's a nice guy, and your mom and I are happy for you." For a man who says he's happy for me he doesn't look like it. He sighs and rubs his chin. "Lisa and your mom are having a shopping day, but before they left Lisa joined us for breakfast." I'm starting to understand the reason behind his attitude. "She told us about what happened last night at the club." I huff. "Don't be upset with her for telling us. Before you started at the club I asked to keep an eye out and make sure you were ok." I sit down in one of the arm chairs as he takes a seat on the sofa. "That guy and the way he acted is the exact reason why I didn't want you working at the club. Nothing like that would happen if you..."

"If I were working for you", I murmur, finishing his sentence. "I'm not going to let last night's incident stop me from working at Delirium, and I'd like for you to support that decision." He finally smiles.

"I'll always worry about you, but like you've said it's just me being a dad. With that being said, I'll continue to support you and your decisions."

"Thanks." I stand and hug him.

"But I were to ever to see the guy he'd wish he were never born."

"You sound like Christian."

"One of the reasons I like him. I can see in his eyes that he cares deeply about you."

* * *

 **C POV**

"Do you have any pretzels?", Jason asks me as we're getting ready to play poker. Ana and I both have the night off from the club, but we're also taking the night off from each other. She's having dinner with Kate while I'm having poker night with Elliot, Jason, and Max, another friend of mine.

"What's poker night without pretzels?", I chuckle. "Check the cabinet above the dishwasher." He opens the cabinet and grabs the pretzels.

"I've got the beers", Elliot says. He manages to carry four beers to the kitchen table without dropping a single one. "Christian, I want to say thank you for inviting me tonight even though I'm not the best poker player."

"I know, and that's why I invited you."

"That's why we all wanted you here", Max jokes. We take our places at the table. "What's new with you guys?"

"Nothing much with me", Jason answers. "I've been working on various cases." He takes a swig of his beer and grins. "Oh. I also started seeing someone." All eyes go to him. "Her name is Gail, and we met through her brother who's a detective at the department. She works in real estate and is great."

"I guess that's one reason why I haven't seen you around the building as much", I tell him as he shuffles the cards.

"It's difficult not knowing one day from the other whether I'm going to be working the night shift or the day shift, but she's been understanding."

"That's cool", Max replies. "I hope you're as happy as I am with Kelsey." Max has been dating Kelsey for the past year. They work alongside each other on a morning show on KISS 101.5 Seattle.

"You two have been going strong for a while. Any plans on taking things to the next level?"

"Not in the near future. She and I are in love and happily living together, and that's good enough for us. Her mom though keeps dropping hints about us getting married. Last week we were at her uncle's birthday dinner which was catered. Kelsey's mom not so casually mentioned that the caterer would be perfect for a wedding. Thankfully Kelsey's dad asked her to stop pushing. He told her if it's not broken not to fix it." He motions to Elliot and me. "What about the Grey brothers' dating lives?"

"I went on a date last night with Kate. She's the roommate and best friend of Ana, Christian's girlfriend", Elliot says. He reaches for a handful of pretzels. "It was so great that we're going out again tomorrow night."

"Christian, how are things with you and Ana?", Jason asks.

"Wonderful. I met her parents last night. I was nervous as hell beforehand, but I felt much better once I actually met them. Her parents are great. I only wish the rest of the night had been as nice."

"What happened to mess up the rest of the night?" I set my cards down and take a long drink of my beer.

"Ana and I both had to work after the dinner with her parents. Things were going ok until a guy got out of hand and started making advances towards her. He grabbed her by the wrist."

"Damn", Max murmurs. "I bet you were on that guy in a second."

"I went over there once I saw it, but Jack was the one who got the guy away from her."

"Jack as in the club's DJ who you can's stand?"

"The one and only", I nod. "He got the guy off Ana which I'm grateful for." I push my cards away. "I'm sorry, but I'm finding it difficult to concentrate on the game. Like I said, I'm grateful he got the guy, but I also wish it had been me that had stopped the guy. Is that wrong?"

"Not at all", Elliot answers.

"I have this slight resentment towards Jack for being the one who helped Ana. After things settled down last night we all went back to work, but I'm wondering if he's going to wave his heroics in my face."

"The guy could leave it along", Max replies while grabbing another beer. "That's what the best thing to do would be. However, from what I've been told about him he just might hold that over your head."

"While hoping Ana rushes into his arms", I mumble. "He's had a thing for her since day one." I glance at Jason who looks like someone who's just had a lightbulb go off in their head. "Jason?"

"It might not be anything", he sighs as he leans back in his chair. "The detective in me is probably just overthinking things."

"Now you've got my attention. What's in that head of yours?" Elliot and Max turn their focus to Jason as well.

"Maybe there's a reason why Jack got to Ana's rescue when he did. What if he..." Jason halts and shakes his head. "It's probably a silly idea."

"Dude, you've got us on the edge of our seats. Go on", Max says, waving his hand for Jason to continue.

"Ok. What if he set the entire thing up? He could've known the guy and had him come on to Ana. Crazy theory." I let Jason's idea sink in. "Right?" The more the idea sinks in the more my thoughts change.

"Maybe not", I murmur.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: As I said in the last update real life has been busy. I write when I get a chance which lately is not often. My mom's been hospitalized for the past week and a half, and her health and recovery take precedent over my stories.**

 **C POV**

"Kate's at work so we have the place to ourselves", Ana says as she stands at the foot of her bed. As soon as she met me at the door she began removing my clothes with every step we took towards her bedroom. I'm now laying completely naked on her bed while she's only wearing a light blue silk robe.

"And how are we going to take advantage of that?", I ask with a sly grin. She eases the robe open and lets it pool to the floor.

"By ravaging each others bodies." Her eyes go to my rock hard cock. "It looks like you want that too." She crawls on top of me, and our mouths connect in a deep kiss. I slip my hand down and rub her clit. "Oh."

"You're wet."

"Very wet. I need you", she murmurs. I try to move her off me. "What are you doing?"

"I've got to get a condom." She shakes her head and pushes me back down.

"What if we don't use a condom? I'm on birth control, and I'm clean. I'm also not seeing anyone else."

"Neither am I, and I'm clean as well. Baby, there's nothing more that I want than to be skin to skin with you, but I want you to be sure."

"I'm sure", she answers, kissing me. Our eyes are on each other as I ease into her. She moves her body along mine as I thrust in and out. Knowing that we've taken a big step in our relationship makes it difficult for me to hold back my orgasm. I'm close after only a few more thrusts. Ana senses it. "Let go." She bucks her hips and tenses up. "I'm coming too." Our releases hit at the same time.

"I tried to hold off", I sigh, catching my breath.

"Me too, but it's ok", she giggles.

* * *

"This is really good", Ana says after taking a bite of the grilled ham and cheese sandwich I made her. We're both now dressed and in her kitchen.

"Thanks although it's just a sandwich."

"It's a very good sandwich." She takes another bite and grins.

"How was your night with Kate?", I ask.

"It was nice. We had dinner at Vernon's. It's a new restuarant a few blocks away. They've got a variety of foods of the menu. Kate went for tacos, and I chose chicken alfredo. We topped the night off with ice cream sundaes."

"Yum." I take a bite of my own sandwich. "You were right. I did make some pretty good sandwiches."

"How did the poker game go? Did you win big?"

"I ended up forfeiting the game", I mutter. I feel Ana's eyes on me. "Elliot surprisingly ended up winning. He actually ran around singing "I am the champion". I laugh at the memory, but Ana stays silent.

"Why do I get the feeling you forfeited the game for a reason other than you didn't want to play?", she asks, tilting her head.

"I mentioned the club incident to the guys, and that led me to lose interest."

"Christian", she sighs. "You can't keep dwelling on that and letting it take over."

"I'm trying. Believe me, I'm trying. It's difficult though. Then Jason brought up a possibility. What if the guy who grabbed you wasn't some random guy? What if he was sent there?"

"Sent there to get handsy with me? Why and who would do that?"

"Suspect number one is the first one who was there to help you. Jack." I take a quick drink of my water and proceed. "I'm not one hundred percent sure he did it, but I'm also not sure he didn't."

"Why would he do that?"

"To be your hero. He's had the hots for you from day one and might've thought coming to your rescue would make him look even better in your eyes."

"It's an extreme measure to take."

"Yeah, but sometimes people do extreme things to get what they want. All I know is I don't think this theory should be ignored."

* * *

 **A POV**

"How are you?" Looking up from the salt shakers I'm filling I see Lisa standing at the end of the bar.

"Good. I'm making sure everything is full before we open." I go back to my work but continue feeling her watching me. "I know you told my parents about the guy."

"I figured you did", she sighs. "I'm not sorry I told them. Sure I told you I'd keep our family connection away from work, but what happened was an exception. You're my niece who I love and want to be safe. I also know how your parents worry about you. I felt they needed to know." I place the shaker in my and down and smile.

"I'm not upset you told them. I sort of guessed you did. Dad came over and expressed his feelings about it. Needless to say he wasn't happy."

"Which is understandable. I'll let you get back to your salt shakers", she giggles. "But if you need anything, I'm here."

"I know", I say. Lisa walks away as Jack steps up to his booth. He looks my way and waves. I respond with a small wave. At the front of my mind is the theory that Jack was behind the guy coming on to me the other night. I see Jack's now heading towards me.

"Hey, Ana", he says with a tooth bearing grin. "How are you?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

"Great, great. We haven't had a chance to talk since what happened the night before last. How are you doing with that?"

"Ok."

"I noticed Christian's not on the schedule tonight so I can't ask him how he's doing with it."

"He wasn't happy with seeing that guy grabbing me, but he's dealing with it." Jack nods and opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. "What?"

"Christian and I aren't friends. That's pretty clear. However I think I might know how he's feeling. He saw a guy being aggressive with his girlfriend, something no guy wants to happen or see. I would've been beyond livid, and I would've ran to stop if as soon as possible. Christian's timing was a little off so I was the one to help you. I'm sure his ego is a little wounded."

"It's not", I mutter.

"Ok...", Jack sighs. "If I were him my ego would be hurt."

"Jack, again thank you for helping me, but I don't want to keep rehashing what happened. I want to put it behind me."

"Sure." He seems disappointed that I don't want to continue discussing the subject. "I've got to go over my music list for the night. I'll see you later."

* * *

"It's so slow tonight", Ellie says during a break between waiting on customers. I glance around the club and see only a handful of people.

"It's the middle of the week and raining", I shrug. "But it makes the night go by slow."

"Agreed." She looks over her shoulder at Rocco who's standing only a few feet away. "I may have plans when I get off."

"Oh, you've got plans", Rocco snickers, making Ellie blush.

"I'm going to the restroom. I'll be back in a bit.", I tell them. They both nod but are in their own little world as I head to the restroom. I empty my bladder and wash my hands. Stepping into the small hallways outside the restroom, I hear a voice in the corner. The person is speaking in a hushed tone, but I'm able to tell that it's Jack.

"You were great. It was better than I imagined it would be." If I didn't know better I'd say he's talking to the creep from the other night. I keep myself hidden so Jack can't see me. "I'll talk to you soon. Bye." Seeing Jack put his phone in his pocket, I try to dash back into the restroom before he sees me, but I fail. "Ana, what's up?"

"Oh. I was just heading to the restroom. What's up with you?" _Act casual, Ana._

"I decided to take a small break and call Veronica." He could be telling the truth, but I get the sense he's trying to cover in case he knows I overheard him on the phone. "She and I spent the night together last night." His eyes are steady on me. Does he expect me to be jealous if he's being honest? _Not going to happen!_

"Cool. I'm glad you two are getting along well. I should get back to work." He slowly moves out of the way, and I continue to feel him staring as I walk away. Back at the bar, I type a quick text to Christian.

 ***I'm more convinced Jack hired the guy.***


End file.
